How to Tell if Your Return Air Duct is Blocked

Are you noticing a reduced efficiency, effectiveness or reduced air quality
in your home? The culprit might be a blocked air duct! At Jerry Kelly
Heating & Air Conditioning, our experts feel that an informed consumer
overall makes better choices when it comes to knowing when to call in
for maintenance and repair. To help you understand the inner working of
your system, and how to recognize warning signs, we’ve created a
list of common problems, and potential solutions for your air duct woes!

Do you need air conditioning or furnace maintenance in the St. Charles
area? If so, the trained specialists at Jerry Kelly have you covered!
Contact us today to get the professional assistance you need!

AIR DUCTS: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RETURN AND SUPPLY DUCT

It’s easy to think of the ductwork in your home as simply a network
of ducts that meander around the home, but there’s some rhyme and
reason to the placement and purpose of your ducts.

The supply ducts are what you typically think of when you consider the
ductwork of your home. These move conditioned air from your system, throughout
the home to control temperatures in the desired way.

Return ducts essentially passively ‘collect’ the air in your
home, pulling it into the system to be filtered, dehumidified and conditioned
to reach the desired temperatures. You can find the return ducts around
your home by looking for those square or rectangular vent grates, usually
located along walls. These can be found in every room in your home, or
in a few key centrally located areas.

Why is the difference important? Well, which duct aspect we’re talking
about has an important influence on potential problems and solutions!

COMMON ISSUES WITH RETURN DUCTS: CLOGS AND LEAKS

When specifically talking about your return ducts, you can run across a
few frustrating but common issues, including:

Blocked air duct. You can generally identify a blocked air duct by a distinct
drop in heating and cooling efficiency, increased energy costs and occasionally
a musty, dusty smell throughout the home. Blockage usually comes over
time, by a buildup of dust and debris that just accumulates until it begins
choking the system. To alleviate this, perform consistent home maintenance,
as well as utilizing the help of a professional with professional HVAC
maintenance! You can also specifically schedule duct cleaning!

Leaky return air ducts. A leaky duct specifically refers to ductwork that
has become loose or damaged. You can usually spot this from musty smells
throughout the home, or weak heating and cooling. Loose and leaky ductwork
isn’t necessarily a consistent issue, but we
do find it to be a common one. Many homeowners never consider their ductwork
until something goes wrong. Don’t do this!

So how can you tell if your system is blocked, or if it’s possible
leaking? Honestly, it’s very hard to diagnose without the training
and efforts of a professional. To get a good idea of what’s wrong
with your duct system, it takes time and effort to really get in there
and see what has gone wrong! To avoid these problems as much as possible
and reduce the frequency of the, be sure to change your filter frequently
and clean the vent grate. The grate collects dust like a fleece jacket
in a sawmill, so stay on top of it!